Florence and the Machine has been making a huge splash on the charts here in England, and rightfully so. Whimsical melodies and an “in your face” style make her stand out from other musicians who produce mere nonsense (3Oh!3 cough, cough). Florence and the Machine’s debut album Lungs, which was released in July, includes tracks spanning musical styles such as baroque rock, indie rock, and soul. I featured her music in my last playlist, which I hope you had the chance to listen to. Although I am becoming a big fan of this spirited singer, there are things about her that bug me.

For example, “Kiss with a Fist” may appeal so some, but it will undoubtedly make many listeners uncomfortable. Now that may be the point. Maybe she wanted to write a song for angry teenage girls to rock out to? It just doesn’t appeal to the same audience as the rest of the album. Other than that, great album! The following tracks are worth a listen to (as well as the remix by the XX, an amazing quartet!), and have/will undoubtedly help her gain the notoriety she deserves.

An artist that I see as somewhat of a protege of Florence and the Machine is her current opening act, Ellie Goulding. This very talented singer also from the UK is currently recording her debut album. With only one single and a few covers released thus far, it is difficult to gauge just how much success she will have. Her edgy, experimental pop music, however, is just the type of material that music fans are eating up right now, so I suspect that she will become a real star. Her first ever headline show is coming up this December in London, with her debut album coming at some point in the near future. Here’s her only single released thus far. See if you can see the similarities between the two artists.